Film Screening 21st July, 2018

Gurrumul (Q&A Screening)

Followed by Q&A with director Paul Damien Williams. Presented in partnership with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Studies’ Social Club.

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was a talented multi-instrumental Indigenous Australian musician, who is remembered today as one of the most important figures in Australian music history. He was greatly skilled with the drums, keyboards, guitar and the didgeridoo, but it was his singing voice – in both English and a number of Yolŋu languages – that attracted the most attention.

Blind from birth, Gurrumul (or as he was otherwise came to be known after his death, Dr. G Yunupingu) found purpose and meaning through songs and music inspired by his traditional community and country. His self-titled breakthrough album in 2008 brought him to a crossroads as audiences around the world began to embrace his music. On the brink of global reverence, Gurrumul struggled to find a balance between the requirements of his cultures and the demands of celebrity.

Director Paul Damien Williams first worked with Gurrumul in 2012 when Williams was an in-house filmmaker at his record label. The next few years saw Williams and Gurrumul collaborate on a documentary exploring what it means to be an Australian Indigenous artist in a modern world – all the way up until Gurrumul’s death last year on July 25th 2017, at the age of 46.

Fortunately, he was able to approve the film three days before he passed away. And fans of Dr. G should be grateful.